Advent Beauty 08 - Right Here

Quite a few years ago, I remember hearing a message where the pastor shared about how he was trying to see how many places he could see the cross in "real life." Not crosses that are built to hang in sanctuaries or on walls but where the cross appeared as one went about the daily things of life. That has stuck with me (obviously) through the years.

Last night, we gathered at the church my wife serves for their annual Advent event - chili dinner, Advent activities and crafts, and hanging of many of the decorations for the season. As we arrived, the sun was just starting to set and it was a stunning sunset that we were blessed to see. But when I was in the sanctuary looking through the windows out to the sunset, I saw not only the beauty of the sky but also the cross before it in the panes of the window.

One of the transforming pieces of my life the last several years has been intentionality of looking for where Jesus is all around me - not just waiting for the spectacular or amazing but finding Jesus in my every day moments of life. This holy season is a reminder of the everyday-ness of Jesus - not distant, but right here.